It wasn't very long ago that for a developer to make a successful weather app, it had to have the most information possible. This meant developers would compete to pack tons of graphs, maps, diagrams, written forecasts, and even forums where people could talk about weather, into busy confusing apps that tried to cover it all. But what you ended up with were long list-like menus when the only information you probably wanted was what the weather might be like for the weekend.

Don't get me wrong, the feature-packed weather apps have their place, particularly when you're monitoring hurricanes, tornadoes, and other potentially disastrous weather systems. But recently there has been a move towards minimalist design to bring you the weather at a glance and some really elegant apps have sprung forth in the category.

As the weather starts to get better here in San Francisco, I decided to gather up four of my favorites so you can get weather info at a glance while you continue on your busy (or relaxing) day.

Blue (99 cents) is great for a quick 36-hour outlook for local weather using an elegant interface, but it offers the least amount of weather information of this collection.

Blue is the most simple weather app of the bunch, but it's just right for th... [Read more]

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• Pizza Compass for the iPhone points you in the direction of the nearest hot pie
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You're exploring a new city when time slips away. Darkness now falls and a chill settles in your bones. The growing rumble in your stomach is starting to scare small children who pass by. But don't even think about the neon-tinted, lowest-common-denominator fast food chains--what you need is a hot slice of pizza from a local joint that's still open. The new Pizza Compass app for iPhone and iPad from swaggering (and most assuredly apocryphal) "creator" Zeus Gorham Munkist and small development shop Oak Studios aims to get you there ASAP.

The Pizza Compass app combines simplicity and necessity. Click the green circle in the top-left of the app to find the nearest pizza. The name of the closest pizza joint to you will appear underneath a rotating slice that points you in the correct direction. A green or red bar at the bottom of the display indicates whether or not the pizza joint in question is open or closed, respectively. If you are near enough to the restaurant to smell the baking pies, the slice will start steaming.

In a comical press video, "Munkist" explains the app in grand philosophical terms:

The Pizza Compass app is banking on a combination of self-deprecating humor, app novelty, and practical use. Due to the nature of the app (pizza!) and its well-orchestrated promotional campaign, P... [Read more]

Torrents are indisputably one of the fastest ways to distribute files, but they've been extremely hard to monetize -- until now.

BitTorrent Inc. (download for Windows or Mac) has built a preliminary format called the BitTorrent Bundle, which will allow content owners to charge for some files within a torrent. The company has partnered with the music label Ultra to test out the Bundle Alpha by sharing a mix of behind-the-scenes music, videos, and a "digital tour booklet" from the electronic dance music star Kaskade. It's all part of the artist's 2012 "Freaks of Nature" tour and is geared to promote the Kaskade's soon-to-be-released tour DVD.

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